Hippo beats man in battle for food


By JAMES KARIUKIPosted Thursday, July 30 2009 at 17:39



Villagers curse KWS staff, the only barrier between them and a sumptuous meal


For the Kenyan villagers, it was the feast that never was. But with a resolve fuelled by hunger pangs, they kept vigil, not taking their eyes off the ailing mother hippo and its calf – both of them stuck in the mud.

They silently cursed the Kenya Wildlife Service rangers – the only barrier between them and a sumptuous meal — who stood guard at Manguo Swamp in Nyahururu.

KWS had thwarted the mad rush for the hippo that already bore a spear wound on its side, thanks to a zealous villager who wanted a quick job of the whole thing.

The group waited for just one thing: word from KWS headquarters giving the rangers the green light to shoot the animals and give them the carcass.

But the hope became a dream when Nyandarua warden in charge, Dominic Kilonzo, delivered the “sad” news that the hippo and its calf would be protected round the clock. And casting further gloom over the hitherto hopeful gathering, was the officer’s warning that whoever had harmed the hippo, would themselves be hunted and punished.

Needing no further persuasion, the villagers took off, casting only the occasional backward glances.

This was the scene on Tuesday last week at the swamp, a place that is synonymous with hippopotami. The animals can be seen in the early and evening hours foraging for food near the swamp, their nostrils spraying water every now and then.

A lingering conflict has been brewing between Manguo slum dwellers and the behemoths estimated to number 300.

Uncontrolled human activity has seen a huge drop in water levels in Uaso Narok river which flows from Lake Ol Bolosat, meanders through the swamp, down Thomson Falls towards North Eastern Province.

At Manguo — Kikuyu for “hippo-infested” — unscrupulous officials allocated land close to the swamp with some land owners extending their fences inside the swamp. This denied hippos grazing ground, forcing them to venture into the villages in search of food.

As the conflict rages, the hippos, irked by the intrusion into their abode, have been hitting back. They have attacked and injured three people since January.